Del Crandall, baseball player, 179 home runs, 1949-1966

Del Crandall

Born: 3/5/1930 in Ontario, CA, USA

Died: 5/5/2021 in Mission Viejo, CA, USA

MLB Debut: 1949-06-17 | Final Game: 1966-09-25

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 180 lbs

Full name: Delmar Wesley Crandall

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Biography

Del Crandall was a prominent professional baseball player, born in 1930, whose career spanned from 1949 until his retirement on September 25, 1966. As a position player, Crandall was known for his significant contributions as a catcher and his ability to impact games both offensively and defensively. Over the course of his career, he played in 1,573 games, accumulating 1,276 hits and hitting 179 home runs while driving in 657 runs. His batting average stood at .254, complemented by 26 stolen bases, illustrating his versatility and speed on the base paths, especially for a player at his position. Crandall was selected as an All-Star 11 times, a testament to his consistent excellence and popularity in an era that featured some of baseball's greatest talents. He played during a transformative period in the game, witnessing the evolution of baseball from the post-war years into the more modern approach of the 1960s. His defensive prowess behind the plate, combined with his offensive contributions, made him a key figure for the teams he represented, most notably the Milwaukee Braves. Crandall's legacy endures not only through his impressive statistics but also through his impact on the game as a player who epitomized the spirit and competitiveness of baseball during his era.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1573 5026 585 1276 179 18 179 657 26 424 477 0.254 0.312 0.404 0.716 -483.7

Career AVG .254 vs. league average .256 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OBP .312 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .404 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.716 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1949 BSN NL 67 228 21 60 10 1 4 34 2 9 18 0.263 .262 (avg) .343 (-15%) .384 (-4%) .727 (-9%) -469.9
1950 BSN NL 79 255 21 56 11 0 4 37 0 13 24 0.220 .265 (-17%) .346 (-26%) .401 (-23%) .747 (-24%) -1232.8
1953 ATL NL 116 382 55 104 13 1 15 51 2 33 47 0.272 .264 (+3%) .335 (-2%) .397 (+8%) .733 (+4%) 226.2
1954 ATL NL 138 463 60 112 18 2 21 64 0 40 56 0.242 .261 (-7%) .333 (-8%) .390 (+9%) .723 (+1%) -3.6
1955 ATL NL 133 440 61 104 15 2 26 62 2 40 56 0.236 .258 (-9%) .332 (-10%) .393 (+16%) .726 (+4%) 178.5
1956 ATL NL 112 311 37 74 14 2 16 48 1 35 30 0.238 .258 (-8%) .331 (-6%) .397 (+13%) .728 (+5%) 183.4
1957 ATL NL 118 383 45 97 11 2 15 46 1 30 38 0.253 .257 (-2%) .323 (-5%) .391 (+5%) .715 (avg) -22.8
1958 ATL NL 131 427 50 116 23 1 18 63 4 48 38 0.272 .257 (+5%) .324 (+7%) .394 (+16%) .719 (+12%) 1027.9
1959 ATL NL 150 518 65 133 19 2 21 72 5 46 48 0.257 .256 (avg) .323 (-2%) .392 (+8%) .715 (+3%) 301.6
1960 ATL NL 142 537 81 158 14 1 19 77 4 34 36 0.294 .255 (+15%) .323 (+3%) .387 (+11%) .711 (+7%) 669.7
1961 ATL NL 15 30 3 6 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1962 ATL NL 107 350 35 104 12 3 8 45 3 27 24 0.297 .257 (+15%) .326 (+7%) .393 (+6%) .719 (+6%) 416.3
1963 ATL NL 86 259 18 52 4 0 3 28 1 18 22 0.201 .246 (-18%) .308 (-19%) .371 (-33%) .680 (-26%) -1176.5
1964 SFG NL 69 195 12 45 8 1 3 11 0 22 21 0.231 .250 (-8%) .312 (-1%) .377 (-13%) .690 (-8%) -218.5
1965 PIT NL 60 140 11 30 2 0 2 10 1 14 10 0.214 .245 (-13%) .310 (-7%) .371 (-27%) .682 (-18%) -387.3
1966 CLE AL 50 108 10 25 2 0 4 8 0 14 9 0.231 .248 (-7%) .309 (+3%) .376 (-4%) .685 (-1%) 24.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
13 44 5 10 0 0 2 4 4 11 0.227

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1958 WS ML1 7 25 4 6 0 0 1 3 3 10 0.240
1957 WS ML1 6 19 1 4 0 0 1 1 1 1 0.211

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 14 9 84 7 0 9
C 1479 1133 7352 759 89 116
OF 9 9 13 0 1 0

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1949 BSN C 63 0 287 39 6 5
1950 BSN 1B 1 0 8 0 0 0
1950 BSN C 75 0 311 41 12 7
1953 ML1 C 108 0 566 62 9 13
1954 ML1 C 136 133 665 79 8 11
1955 ML1 C 131 124 611 67 10 8
1956 ML1 C 109 87 448 44 2 9
1957 ML1 1B 1 0 2 1 0 0
1957 ML1 C 102 92 414 59 6 11
1957 ML1 OF 9 9 13 0 1 0
1958 ML1 C 124 120 659 64 7 6
1959 ML1 C 146 142 783 71 5 15
1960 ML1 C 141 139 764 70 10 9
1961 ML1 C 5 5 17 3 0 0
1962 ML1 1B 5 3 28 1 0 2
1962 ML1 C 90 88 460 54 3 7
1963 ML1 1B 7 6 46 5 0 7
1963 ML1 C 75 67 413 38 4 2
1964 SFN C 65 57 402 30 3 7
1965 PIT C 60 40 248 23 1 4
1966 CLE C 49 39 304 15 3 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Catcher 1479
First Base 14
Left Field 1
Right Field 9

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1962 Gold Glove C
1962 TSN All-Star C
1960 Gold Glove C
1960 TSN All-Star C
1959 Gold Glove C
1958 Gold Glove C
1958 TSN All-Star C

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1962 Most Valuable Player NL 26th 2.0 280 0
1960 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 31.0 336 0
1959 Most Valuable Player NL 11th 27.0 336 0
1958 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 48.0 336 0
1955 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 8.0 336 0
1954 Most Valuable Player NL 17th 13.0 336 0
1953 Most Valuable Player NL 24th 1.0 336 0
1949 Rookie of the Year NL 2nd 3.0 24 3